1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to socket wrenches and somewhat more particularly to adjustable socket wrenches for driving bolts, nuts and other like threaded workpieces of various sizes.
2. Prior Art
Adjustable sockets for use on various sized nuts, bolts and other like workpieces and replacing more or less conventional socket sets, which include a plurality of different size sockets, each fitting a particular size workpiece, are known.
Adjustable sockets typically include a plurality of jaws that are moveable in a radial direction to grip and drive nuts or bolts of different size. The number of positions to which the jaws can be adjusted is usually large enough so that a fairly large range of both English and Metric size nuts and bolts can be driven by such sockets upon appropriate adjustment. Thus, a worker or mechanic can work on different sized nuts, bolts or the like, with a single adjustable socket without having to remove one socket from the wrench and replace it with another socket every time he encounters a different size nut or bolt. Further, the aggravation of misplacing or losing a particular socket or even searching for the right sized socket are eliminated by adjustable sockets.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,213,355, 4,366,733, and 4,378,714 disclose adjustable socket devices wherein straight or plane faced jaws are slideably moved by camming surfaces into contact with the peripheral surface of a workpiece and locked into position for driving such workpiece in a desired direction. However, these structures are relatively costly and complex, subject to jamming and the like. Further, if the workpiece periphery does not correspond to the plane of the jaw face, or the periphery of the workpiece presents an angle to the jaw face, slippage or the like occurs since the jaws are merely locked in a given position and not continually urged into further contact with the workpiece.
Other adjustable socket structures and like devices are disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 531,577; 595,363; 651,306; 1,162,197; 1,236,322; 2,027,534; 2,792,735; 2,884,826; 3,664,213; 3,698,266; and 3,724,299. However, all of these diverse structures have various drawbacks, which are substantially minimized and/or eliminated by structures constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.